I remembered the time in 2006 when a friend of ours (my husband and I) was going through a really difficult time - his father had just passed away and he was taking care of his mom, who had dementia. I was listening and talking with him on the phone. I asked him if he knew Jesus. He was somewhat skeptical, but was so wrapped up in his emotions that he did not want to talk about God. He could not leave his mom alone and his own grief over his dad and the care of her was crushing him. He did not know Jesus. All I kept seeing, after I hung up with him, was that he was driving at full speed toward a chasm and the bridge was out. It brought up such a welling of compassion for him. He didn't really want to talk, but God prompted me to pray over our friend and write to him about Jesus. After I wrote our friend, God tapped me on the shoulder about all the other people in my life who were also speeding blindly down the same road toward that chasm. As a result, I prayed over and wrote letters to all of our family members, friends and all my co-workers at the time. I got into trouble about it at my work. Some of my co-workers were of other religions (my human resources had a talk with me and forbid me to use our company mail boxes for the letter. They felt I was proselytising). I had some letters left to give out at that point, so I asked Jesus how I should do it, since I could not use the company mail boxes. He told me to just walk up to my co-workers - tell them I had written a letter for them and ask them if they wanted it. All the ones who were left said yes and I gave out all the letters I had - even to my management! :)
One friend of my husband's, who I had never met, also received one of the letters. I had never heard from him directly about it. But, one day, about a year after I'd sent the letters, I got a phone call. A woman on the line was the friend's sister. She told me that her brother had passed away recently. It had come about fairly suddenly and was unexpected. She and her family had gone to his home to take care of his belongings. In the process, she found the letter. She wanted me to know that she was a Christian and had always prayed for her brother to come to know Jesus. She also wanted me to know that in his brief stay at the hospital before he passed, that she had the chance to see and talk to him and that he had read the letter and come to know and trust Jesus. He was so at peace and happy when he passed. She was so thankful and we were praising God! She asked if it would be alright to bring the letter to his funeral for family and friends to read. I told her, of course!
Just recently, at my company Christmas party - one co -worker's husband came up to me and shared that he had come to know Jesus several years ago and how he had not realized that he needed Jesus, but found out how much he did. He did not mention the letter and I did not really connect his conversation with me that night to the letters to all of my co-workers, but God brought it back to my mind when I shared about it recently.
That discussion was a tap on the shoulder from God. I can't just write a batch of letters and neglect all those God's brought into my life since then! So, once again, I am writing letters. One letter I will be posting here on my blog very soon. The other letters will go to all the new friends and co-workers who did not get this letter before. Does it expose me to ridicule, or misunderstanding or resentment? Sure it does. But, that is not even a consideration when I think about so many speeding toward that chasm blindly, with the bridge out - no signs, no guard blockade, no safety net! Seriously - wouldn't you stand in the road and try your darnedest to stop someone in that real scenario? The eternal consequences are dire.
What is real love? It is a choice to act in accord with the very best good of someone else - no matter the cost. Do you know someone speeding toward the chasm? Be bold - share Jesus with those put into your sphere of influence. It doesn't have to be a letter (though letters have quite wonderful longevity and can be stumbled across or pulled out and read again, sometimes at just the right moments in a person's life), but even a phone call or conversation over a cup of coffee with someone who needs to know - it counts! Take Action!! And if you don't know Jesus - read the posts in my blog and look for the letter that will be on my blog very soon.
How then, shall we live?
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